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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadGreater Men and Women of the Bible by James Hastings: 665. Agrippa
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Literature
Goodman, J. H., The Lordship of Christ (1901), 156.
Grandpierre, J. H., in Foreign Protestant Pulpit, ii. (1870) 243.
Hausrath, A., A History of the New Testament Times: The Time of the Apostles, ii. (1895) 16.
Jones, M., St. Paul the Orator (1910), 221.
Luckock, H. M., Footprints of the Apostles as traced by Saint Luke in the Acts, ii. (1905) 264.
Maclaren, A., Christ's Musts (1894), 187.
Maclaren, A., Expositions: The Acts of the Apostles xiii.-end (1907), 337.
Mathews, S., A History of New Testament Times in Palestine (1899), 181.
Morrison, G. H., The Footsteps of the Flock (1904), 362.
Rackham, R. B., The Acts of the Apostles (1901), 455.
Stevens, W. B., Sermons (1879), 63.
Stokes, G. T., The Acts of the Apostles (Expositor's Bible), ii. (1892) 422.
Trench, R. C., Sermons Preached for the Most Part in Ireland (1873), 11.
Church Pulpit Year Book, 1915, p. 26.
Contemporary Pulpit, 2nd Ser., x. (1893) 239 (A. Maclaren).
Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, i. (1915) 564 (D. Frew).
Dictionary of the Bible, ii. (1899) 353 (A. C. Headlam).
A unique interest centres round this “the last of the Herods.” It has been said indeed that justice has hardly been done to him, taking into consideration the circumstances of his birth, and the difficult part he had to play in the stormy times which preceded the great national catastrophe.
1. At the time of his father's death, Agrippa ii. was resident in Rome, and but seventeen years of age. Claudius, the Emperor, had he not been dissuaded from his purpose by his freedmen and counsellors, would at once have granted him the succession to the Jewish kingdom. It was urged that he was too young to guide the destinies of the stormy province of Judæa, so Claudius retransformed it into a Roman province. About six years afterwards, however, the Emperor bestowed on him his uncle Herod's kingdom of Chalcis as well as the rights which he had possessed of supervising the Temple and choosing the high priest. Later, Claudius added to Agrippa's dominions the tetrarchies of Philip and Lysanias (see Luk_3:1), and conferred on him the coveted title of King; and in 56 a.d. Nero, who had meanwhile succeeded to the throne and expected Agrippa's aid against the Parthians, added to his kingdom the regions of Tiberias and Tarich, with Julias, a city of Peræa and several villages in its vicinity. Agrippa showed his gratitude by changing the name of his capital from Cæsarea Philippi to Neronias, in honour of the Emperor.
2. It was natural that Agrippa should be strongly attached to the Empire which had adopted him, and to that family which never seemed to weary of showing him kindness and consideration. A Roman at heart, and devoted by education and circumstances to the Roman influence, he endeavoured to bring the customs of his people into conformity with those of the Gentiles. At the same time, he evinced an occasional interest in the Jewish religion, and sought to win over the Pharisees to his projects. In the final struggle between the Jews and Rome, which he did his utmost to avert, he, however, maintained his loyalty to the Imperial power, and at the close of the war was rewarded with considerable enlargement of his territories.